Potential Artificial Blood Found in Sea Worms

The discovery of an artificial blood could save lives all around the world.  Since human blood is in short supply, many scientists have been looking for an artificial blood solution.  Romanian scientists are on a great path to discovering a blood substitute. Most researchers have been focusing on artificial hemoglobin to carry oxygen through the body.  The problem is that these artificial substances counteract with other body chemicals and cannot handle stress. The artificial hemoglobin then becomes toxic and deadly to the host’s body.

Doctor Radu Silaghi-Dumitrescu and his research team from Romania said they have found a substitute that does not have these toxic side effects.  They experimented with a substance called hemerythrin, which is extracted from sea worms.  Hemerythrin is much more resistant to chemical agents in our blood and, in turn, makes it much safer.  There artificial blood is made strictly of hemerythrin, water, and salts.  It also does not have a red color; it is a slightly translucent yellow. The hemerythrin, which is a protein, is successful in transporting oxygen and does so in many invertebrates. If it works for them it may work for humans.  

So far, the Romanian researchers have been successful with using this artificial blood on vertebrates. They have conducted studies on mice where they have used the artificial blood in the animals.  The results were spectacular. They survived and had no side effects.  Another benefit of hemerythrin is that it has an unlimited shelf life and it does not need to be refrigerated.   It is mixed with water and creates an instant artificial blood.  Human blood on the other hand only lasts a month and is then expired.

This new artificial blood will last anywhere from a few hours up to an entire day.  As of now, the focus is to developing this hemerythrin blood is to be used for  trauma victims or during surgeries where severe blood loss occurs. The idea of this blood substitute is that the victim’s body should continue to make blood.  By the time the substitute blood no longer works, the person should have made enough blood to be sustained. The scientists hope to conduct human trials within two years. Their goal is that the clinical trials well be deemed successful and will be conducted on human volunteers.  If they are successful this will completely change the medical industry, and this artificial blood can help save lives. 

By Jacob Ludwig